students and six staff members of the school are killed in newtown, connecticut. >> i have been at this for one- third of a century, and my sensibilities may not be of the average man, but this probably is the worst i have seen or the worst that i know of any of my colleagues have seen. >> the massacre occurred in newtown, connecticut, just miles from the national shooting sports foundation, the nation's second most powerful pro-gun lobby in the country after the national rifle association. we will host a debate on gun control between the gun honors for america and the coalition to stop gun violence. then we will speak to paul barrett, author of, "glock: the rise of america's gun." and we will get a report from the streets of cairo from sharif abdel kouddous.

>> of voting among the division. egyptians headed to the polls on saturday in the sixth national election in nearly two years. this time, to vote on a referendum and a hotly disputed constitution. >> all of that and more coming up. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president obama has vowed to take action against gun violence in the united states following the shooting rampage that left 27 people dead, including 20 young children, in newtown, connecticut. all of the children are aged 6 and 7. the gunman, 20-year-old adam lanza, shot his mother dead at their home before driving to the sandy hook elementary school and forcing his way inside. armed with high-powered rifle,

two handguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, lanza shot up to first grade classrooms before taking his own life as police arrived at the scene. lanza still had hundreds of additional rounds of ammo and another weapon in his car, suggesting he would carry out more shootings had the police not closed again. 12 of the victims were girls, eight were boys. all six of the adult victims were women. the school victims all appeared to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds. connecticut's chief medical examiner, dr. wayne carver, called the crime scene the worst he had ever witnessed. >> i have been at this for a third of a century, and my sensibilities may not be the average man, but this probably is the worst i have seen or the worst that i know of any of my colleagues having seen. we did not bring the bodies in

the families into contact. we took pictures of them, other facial features. it is easier on the families when you do that. >> the first of the fuel services for the newtown victims begin today, with more of follow throughout the week. at a vigil sunday night, president obama vowed unspecified action to curb gun violence in the united states. >> in the coming weeks i'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law-enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. because what choice do we have? we cannot accept events like this as routine. are we really prepared to say we are powerless in the face of

such carnage? that the politics are too hard? are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom? among the six adults killed, all women, was the principal and a psychologist, both who lunged at the shooter when he first came into the school, and the teachers protecting their students. as news of the massacre spread friday, a group of demonstrators gathered outside the white house to coffers stricter gun control and better services for the mentally ill. >> i think we have a real problem with identifying mental illness in this country. i think we ever problem of treating people with problems. we need to break at the booth and saw that, otherwise, we will be here again and again and again. >> as our critic for one purpose

and one purpose only -- to kill. assault weapons are designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. they have no place in our society, no place in our communities. there is no claim of rights or sport or anything, in my mind, that justifies that. >> dianne feinstein of california has already promised to introduce a new assault weapons ban on the first day of the new congress, challenging president obama to back the bill. the new york times reports the obama administration abandoned a series of gun control measures one year ago as the 2012 election approached and house republicans pushed a probe of the gun sting "operation fast and furious." drafted after the to your 2011 shooting rampage in tucson, arizona, the justice department recommendations centered on improving and expanding the national background check system to reduce access to weapons for criminals and mentally ill.

the list included several proposals obama could have enacted by executive order had he chosen to take action at the time. as the nation mourns the newtown victims, a number of additional threats and shootings have been reported since the massacre. a newtown church was evacuated sunday after police responded to a threat against those inside. in indiana man equipped with a 47-gun arsenal was arrested on sunday after allegedly threatening to kill children at a local elementary school. oklahoma police arrested an 18- -year old high school student on friday, who allegedly was planning a school shooting massacre. an alleged gunman was arrested in california reportedly firing 50 shots in a mall parking lot. in san antonio, texas, two men were reportedly injured in shooting at a movie theater sunday night. we will have more on u.s. gun violence in the newtown massacre after headlines. egyptian voters headed to the polls on saturday in a referendum on a controversial

draft constitution. according to unofficial preliminary results, the document passed the first round with 57% of the vote with the turnout of just 31%. a second round scheduled for this saturday in remaining areas. a coalition of human rights groups has called for revoked citing thousands of complaints of violations at the polls including a lack of full judicial supervision. at a news conference, the opposition national salvation front accused authorities of rigging the outcome. >> [indiscernible]

>> we will have more from egypt with sharif abdel kouddous later in the broadcast. at least 25 people have reportedly been killed in the latest syrian government bombing of a palestinian refugee camp in damascus. the attack on the district comes amidst fears the syrian military is preparing a full on ground assault to displace rebels from their positions. during a visit to neighboring lebanon, the u.n. high commissioner for refugees warned the conflict in syria is likely to get worse. >> it is time for the international community to understand this is not a conflict like many others. we're witnessing the brutal fighting with tragic humanitarian consequences and things are evolving in a way that make us foresee the possibility of 2013 being much

more dramatic than 2012. >> in iraq, a least 20 people have been killed in a series of car bombings outside shia temples. the violence comes one days after 19 people died in attacks nationwide. the number of people killed in this month's massive typhoon in the southern philippines has surpassed 1020 with the total expected to rise. eight officials say more that 850 people remain missing. the u.s. has refused to sign on to a new united nations treaty calling for all countries that equal say in governance of the internet. a u.n. conference on a new global it smashed a communications treaty ended friday with an agreement to bring the internet under u.s. auspices but the u.s. along with key allies, including britain and canada, refused to join, saying u.n. jurisdiction would hand too much control to unfavorable governments. the treaty is slated to take effect in 2015.

protests were held around the world friday to call attention to labor practices at the retail giant walmart. workers in the u.s. and nine other countries rallied at walmart stores and subsidiaries to denounce the company's alleged attempts to silence workers seeking to unionize and reform workplace conditions. aside from the u.s., the demonstrations took place in argentina, brazil, chile, nicaragua, canada, britain, south africa, zambia and india. the muslim public affairs council held its annual gathering at a california church in california on saturday. the group denounced pasadena's all seems church after became the first church to host a u.s. muslim group's national convention. organizers sought the protection of police and private security after the church was flooded the mail. those are some of the headlines. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

funeral services are being held today in connecticut for two of the victims in friday's shooting massacre at the sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut. noah pozner and jack pinto for 06 years old. they died on friday along with 80 of their classmates and six staff members at the school. all of the children killed were six and seven years old. there were all shot multiple times. it was the deadliest rampage at an elementary school in u.s. history. police said the gunman, 20-year- old adam lanza, it used a semiautomatic bushmaster assault rifle, similar to the one used by the u.s. military. he also had two handguns, a glock 9 millimeter some of mathematics -- semiautomatics. on sunday, the president spoke. >> we cannot tolerate this

anymore. these tragedies must end. and to end them, we must change. we will be told the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. no single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. but that cannot be an excuse for inaction. surely, we can do better than this. if there is even ones that we can take to save another child or another parent or another town from the grief that has visited tucson and aurora and oak creek and newtown and communities from columbine to

blacksburg before that, then surely have an obligation to try. in the coming weeks, i'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law-enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. because what choice do we have? we cannot accept events like this as routine. are we really prepared to say that were powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our

freedom? >> friday's massacre occurred in newtown, connecticut, home of the national shooting sports foundation, a group described as the second most powerful pro-gun lobby in the country after the national rifle association. on sunday, democratic senator dianne feinstein of california about to introduce a new assault weapons ban on the first day of the new congress, challenging president obama to back the bill. connecticut governor dannel malloy told cnn the federal ban should not have been allowed to expire. >> i think when we talk about the assault weapons ban that was in place in the united states, to allow that to have gone away -- these are sought weapons. you do not hunt deer with these things. what can only hope we will find a way to limit these weapons that really only have one purpose. >> in a moment, we will host a debate. first, we're joined by paul barrett from bloomberg businessweek. his latest book is called,

"glock: the rise of america's gun." welcome back to "democracy now!" talk about what happened on friday and put in context of gun violence in this country. >> what we saw is yet another one of these huge the disturbing mass killings that i think is the almost inevitable outcome of a society that is permeated by firearms, some 300 million guns in private hands right now. the intersection of a society like that with mental illness, which is almost inevitable in society. once again, and that a young man, for reasons we do not yet know and may never know, snapped. guns are readily at hand. that would be my first cut to the awful thing that happened in connecticut. >> just what hours, something like that before in china, another mentally disturbed man went into a school and knifed 23

people, 22 of them children. i think one has died. the difference was, he had a knife. adam lanza had a gun. >> the united states, for better or for worse, is a gun culture. we are a culture that uniquely in the world sees the value and significance and firearms. it is been the case since the founding of the republic. the second amendment is scorned by many people, but it has been there since the beginning and it is very meaningful to millions and millions of people in this country. farmers represent not something evil to many americans -- firearms represent not something evil to many americans, the self-reliance. the american profile. as a result, we end up with a country that is suffused with firearms. >> and "meet the press," the author of the 1994 salt weapons

and i and feinstein said she is introducing a bill to reform gun ownership standards in the next congress. >> i'm going to introduce in the senate and the same bill be introduced in the house, a bill to ban assault weapons. it will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation and possession, not retroactively, but prospectively. it will ban the same for big clips, drums, or strips of more than 10 bullets. so there will be -- with a working on the bill for a year we tried to take my bill from 1994 to 2004 and perfect it. we believe we have. we exempt over 900 specific weapons that will not fall under the bill. >> 900 specific weapons will not fall under the bill. the last words of senator feinstein. >> i will read the legislation

very closely when it is out. i have to say i am skeptical. the 1994 so-called assault weapons ban was one of the most porous, any effective pieces of legislation i personally have ever had the opportunity to study. it was shot through with loopholes. it had no applicability to weapons that were made and sold on the day before enactment. and the fact it was coming for many years gave gun manufacturers an opportunity to run their factories overtime and build up huge stockpiles of the weapons. so we will see. but if congress is not proposing to ban weapons that are already out there, then that leaves millions and millions of weapons already out there. >> how many are we looking at? it is believed 300 million?

>> hand guns, shotguns, tear hunting rifles and his military-style assault weapons. they're a good millions of these military-style assault weapons sold in the last few years. they are not going away unless someone is proposing a confiscation law, which so far i have not heard anyone propose. there are states, including connecticut, that have stricter state level loss for certain guns. that is up to a state to do if it wants to. we have to be very vigilant and separating symbolism from effective legislation. in the past, a lot of gun control laws have been more symbolism. >> you were the first in the media on friday to point out this elementary school in newtown is not far from the headquarters of the national shooting sports foundation in newtown creek explain what that is. >> it is basically the trade association for the manufacturers and marketers of

guns and ammunition. it is a sister organization to the better known nra which represents the interests of gun owners. the nra advocates on behalf of the customers and the nssf on behalf of the manufacturers. of course, their interests intersect on many issues, and the upper hand in hand on many issues. what was striking to me is the nssf is based in this placid exurbs of new york, the san with the nra is based in the bucolic confines of fairfax, virginia. i don't think there's anything particularly remarkable about the geographic proximity between shooting tragedy beyond the fact that it shows us that guns really are normal and routine part of american life. it is not hold up in some castle

behind barbed wire and machine guns, but in the building you might think is a medical professional building up on a hill that looks very innocuous. guns are not exceptional in the united states, they are the norm. >> put them in the context globally. compare canada, germany, australia. where do we stand when it comes to gun deaths in america? >> our gun homicide rates is greater by orders of magnitude compared to all other comparable societies. which is to say, industrialized democracies. our overall violent crime rate -- this is a distinction worth making -- is not as distinct. in other words, you're not necessarily in greater peril of having your car stolen or having some he eu over the head with a baseball bat in the u.s.

in fact, nyc is safer than many other big cities around the world in terms of violent crime overall. but we have a gun homicide problem. our crime is more lethal because we have more guns. >> talking about something like 9000 homicide gun deaths in the united states every year. i think that it has let 150. germany, 170. and then you would include suicide and what is it in the u.s.? >> we have roughly something in order of 30,000 gun deaths a year, but the large majority are suicide. >> we're talking to paul barrett. when we come back, we will host a debate on the issue of gun violence in america. paul barrett's latest book is called, "glock: the rise of america's gun." stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the worst school bus occurred in u.s. history after virginia tech happened on friday. the new town sandy hook elementary school. 26 people gunned down. 20 of them 6 and 7-olds, six of them, all women, stabbed at the school. the school psychologist and the principal, after they tried to stop the shooter, and the teachers to try to protect their students. for more on the massacre, we're joined by two guests from washington, d.c., john velleco of the director of federal affairs for gun owners of america agreed also the crips federal lobbyist. and we're joined by christian heyne, the legislative assistant and dressers or better for the coalition to stop gun violence he lost his mother to gun violence in 2005. his father narrowly survived,

sustaining multiple gunshots. and still with us, paul barrett, author of, "glock: the rise of america's gun." let's start with christian heyne. talk about what happened thousand oaks california. what happened to your family? >> i come from thousand oaks, california, very much in itself similar to a new town. we are a community that is not often affected by gun violence. they said my parents for the wrong place at the wrong time. we are consistently rated the safest city in the country. i parents were returning a boat to my dad's best friend did he had a restraining order against a man. he came up to do with the judge thought he would do, he shot my dad's best friend in the back. he then turned the gun on my dad because he happened to be there. my dad tried to draw him away from my parents, from my mom.

he finished my dad after shooting him two more times. my mom tried to keep steve alive rather than running away. he let her bed for her life, right about 10 steps, then shot and killed her in the back. he killed a mother in front of two children. but both of the children in icu. he wounded a police officer and ultimately took his own life. when we picked up the pieces and my dad was able to heal, we looked at this man -- not only did he had a restraining order, he been arrested multiple times for fighting police officers. he had been discharged from the military and legally owned three guns and multiple extended magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. they were in his name. we pick ourselves up and started working on this issue proactively since then.

we realized how stark and lacks our gun laws are in this country become so your response, a christian, when you heard the news of the sandy hook elementary school massacre, and what you think needs to be done. >> unfortunately, our movement is comprised of many victims of gun violence. the first thing you do is, we feel the pain. we are brought back to that day, as some americans -- 34 americans are murdered every day by guns. when i turn to page 8 and see just one individual was shot and killed, and you see the example of a mass shooting like this, you realize each one of these individuals -- it is not just one person affected. it is the parent, the son, daughter, the entire network of individuals whose lives will be changed forever because of the lax laws we have in this country

in the easy access we have to deadly weapons. it is not our position to say that we're trying to take guns away from responsible law- abiding gun owners, but to have these things into nearly happened in the level of deaths we allow to exist, it is irresponsible to not have a conversation to discuss things that we can do practically to keep guns out of the hands of these dangerous individuals. >> john velleco, thank you for being with us of gun owners of america. not a lot of people who are against gun control are willing to go on national media this week. david gregory on "beat the press," said they invited all 31 pradesh and senators and not one was willing to come on in the wake of this mass school shooting, what do you think needs to happen? >> i agree with a lot of what christian said, the impact on families of violence and as a

parent of five children, including a six-year olds, your heart breaks. it goes out to these people who have suffered unimaginable loss. it can never be replaced. i also get a little bit angry when i see politicians take to the airwaves -- prominent politicians like the mayor of new york city, senator schumer, senator feinstein, in a sense, tried to capitalize on this tragedy to pursue an agenda of banning guns. if we want to have a serious conversation about what to do with violence in this country, we have to take a step back from just the politics and say, what can we do to protect children? that is the most important thing. will banning guns protect those children? probably not because the mother

who own the guns had bought them legally. on the other hand, we of so- called gun-free zone loss in this country. nearly every single multiple victim shooting in this country has occurred in a gun-free zone. if we're going to talk about the response to violence, talk about protecting children -- which is the most important thing -- everything needs to be on the table, including not disarming law-abiding adults, teachers, custodial workers, administrators who happen to work in a school. that is the case now. >> so you're saying the people in the school should have had guns? >> alassane they should not be mandatory disarmed by the u.s. congress and government. there many teachers who have concealed carry permits issued by their state who cannot carry

in school because of these laws. >> and you think those bands should be lifted? >> i think -- the bands have been in place since the early 1990's. in the 1950's and 1960's, students were able to take guns into school and put them along the wall in the principal's office or in their locker and use them after school to go hunting. we did not have school shootings then. something has changed over time. >> let me bring back in christian heyne. what you think the answer would of been if the adults have had ? >> we hear this argument, every time a mass shooting occurs. it is supported take a hard look at what is being discussed. -- it is in poor to take a hard look at what is being discussed. an individual in virginia can acquire conceal-carry permit by watching a one-hour video online, taking a 10-question

test, never touching a gun, never live firing a weapon, and permitted to carry concealed weapon in public. no training whatsoever, not even any knowledge they have ever handled a gun to begin with. then you look at -- imagine aurora, as people say it, "i wish there had been a gun in the movie theater." imagine in a dark movie setting, someone bust's in with loud noise is already going on, hundreds of individuals, someone throws to smoke bombs and not only is he firing into the crowd, but 10 people within the theater band together, he cannot tell me that they would be able to be sure they would not be attacking innocent individuals and what happens with law- enforcement arrives on the scene? they do not know who to fire, who is the target. if we're going to have people carrying guns in public, first of all need to make sure there

will train. second, they need to be responsible locations. scalia, he said even though there's a constitutional right to sell protection, that does not mean we cannot limit where people can carry these weapons and who can carry them. there is a lot of work we need to do on both sides of those. the background tax system is a huge part of that. -- the background check system is a huge part of that. we need to be looking at both those areas in order to make real changes and progress. >> europe in her state building shooting or a man killed another man in front of the empire state building months ago. nine people were injured near the empire state building. all of them were injured by police when they unloaded 16 rounds in the shadow of the empire state building after a disgruntled former apparel

designer, killing at to engage in a gunbattle with police. paul barrett, and coulter said, only one policy is ever been tried to deter mass murder -- concealed carry laws. >> i don't know what she means by only one policy has been shown. i don't know what social science she is pointing to. the hard truth for people on both sides of this debate is the social science is inconclusive. the best studies that have been done on the proliferation of separatearry laws image anyone who wants to conceal-carry license can have one. the best research has been done at yale university that says, quite candidly, we can not tell. we cannot find a good association between the liberalization of those laws,

the fact it is easier to carry guns concealed a public, that it was 25 years ago and crime rates. there are studies on both sides and i am sure these two spokespeople for their causes would have strong views. my view is, we don't know. >> and thinking about the professors at university colorado boulder when the law went into faxing students could carry concealed weapons on campus. their terrace they said, we're free to give a student a poor grade. what will trigger some went and why should they be exposed to this? >> personally, asking me what i favor as a citizen or a voter arming students were encouraging every teacher in every class and have a gun, i personally would not. i would be happy to explain why. i think you can go to an extreme. however -- i also think that would encourage gunplay that is not taking place right now. on the other hand, if i ran an

elementary school, if that are my job, if i ran a house of worship, even a movie theater, i would make sure starting this week there was an armed guard. the very best armed guard i could hire. that does not go to gun control or ideological issues and does not solve everything, nothing to celebrate, the yes, it would make is more like a violent latin-american countries where there are armed guards everywhere. at the same time, if you want to guard schoolchildren, starting tomorrow, in a particular school, you want to make it less likely mass shooter can shoot 20 people as opposed to two, i would put a skilled guard in front. >> mayor bloomberg of new york urge president obama to lead the discussion on gun-control on "meet the press" on sunday. >> the president should console the country, but he is the commander in chief as well as the counselor in chief. he calls for action, but he did so two years ago. every time there is a disaster

like this, a tragedy like this, everyone says, "now was not the time" or "if you had fix the problem." all of that is true. it is time for the president, i think, to stand up and lead and tell this country what we should do. not the congress and say, "what do you guys want to do?" this should be his number one agenda. he is the president of the united states. if he does nothing during his second term, something like 48,000 americans will be killed with illegal guns. that is roughly the number of americans killed in the whole vietnam war. >> john velleco, that was mayor bloomberg read your response? you're the director of federal affairs for gun owners in america. >> thank you. the politicians like michael bloomberg and senator feinstein and senator schumer, what they're doing is taking the

failed policies of the past -- they have all been involved in very strict gun control legislation, even drafting the laws. they're taking these policies that have not worked. where have gun-free zones ever stop the criminal from entering the zone and committing mayhem? what they want to do is double down on policies that we know will not work. one of the things -- i would agree with ann coulter. one of the things that helps to stop, and the other guest said earlier that this is not -- a gun is not one to stop every crime from occurring, but they can stop shootings from turning into mass shootings. the presence of an armed civilian has oftentimes stopped shooters in school shootings and other locations. kristin pointed out the colorado massacre in virginia tech.

what if someone had been armed, would have been able to stop? i don't know, but maybe, perhaps it would've been able to present -- prevent the shootings from escalating even further. we know the gun-free zones do not work. it is time to give freedom a chance and allow citizens who carry concealed -- in virginia, contrary to what christian heyne was suggesting, law- abiding gun owners are not involved in crimes in the commonwealth of virginia. we can carry concealed, think three openly. virginia is a much safer location the just across the potomac river in washington, d.c., which still has almost a complete ban on firearms. it is difficult to own them. >> christian heyne, what is the legislation you would like to see? what areas would you like to see regulated when it comes to guns in america? >> their specific legislation

that has been presented before this congress and will be introduced again in the next congress, that was simply have not addressed. in 33 states, you can legally purchase a firearm without undergoing a background check. the u.s. department of justice says if you're a private individual, you can sell a gun to a stranger without the minister of a background check. the u.s. department of justice has estimated about 40% of guns that are bought in this country are done so without a background check. there is no justification i have ever heard the congestive i selling a gun to a stranger without at least screening and to make sure they are not a primitive purchaser. the names of individuals who are prohibited purchasers simply are not making their way into the national data base. and the president says he'll use the full force of his presidency to address this issue, michael bloomberg on the same interview discussed his

executive -- he could issue executive orders to make sure the states are reporting the names of people who have been deemed dangerously mentally ill, which right now, it is not happening. eight states and the countries have not been ministered in the name since virginia tech. if we're going to really listen to these legislators in a way we can make a difference and keep guns out of these hands we have already deemed are dangerous individuals, then we need to fix the background check system that is already in place. if we're going to do that, hopefully, individuals on both sides of the aisle will be willing to address these giant loopholes that exist that are literally are many dangerous people every day. >> i want to thank you all for joining us. christian heyne is the legislative assistant for coalition to stop gun violence. i want to thank john velleco

from gun owners of america, and paul barrett, author of "glock: the rise of america's gun." >>. when we come back, the streets of cairo after the vote on the constitution. stay with us. ♪ [music break] >> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. voters headed to the polls in egypt on saturday.

we turn to sharif abdel kouddous. >> voting amongst the division. egyptians headed to the poll on saturday in the sixth national election in nearly two years. this time, to vote on referendum on how the disputed constitution. -- hotly disputed constitution read when it comes at a time of severe political crisis. the country is reeling from three weeks of turmoil, mass street protests. the mistrust is evident. >> today we say no to the constitution because we do not want it to be made with the blood of the people. i hope they do not rig the vote. >> say yes to the constitution, guess to building institutions,

yes to building the nation. >> president morsi and the muslim brotherhood pushed hard for the december 15 referendum. there were mass protests that brought tens of thousands into the streets and some of the largest demonstration since the revolution began. a controversial decree that gave the press and absolute power ignited the turmoil in the constituent assembly's vote to pass the draft constitution despite the withdrawal from all the bodies non-islamist members added fuel to the fire. but the crisis of escalate when leaders of the muslim brotherhood called on supporters to descend on a peaceful sit-in at the presidential palace. clashes quickly erupted with molotov cocktails, bird shot and live ammunition.

the president's supporters took them to a makeshift detention center at the gate of the presidential palace. there were held for hours, brutally beaten, and pressure to confess they then pay to use violence to protest against the president. >> they drag me and beat me. they used everything to hit us. i almost lost conscious. i almost died. >> a former diplomat who was held for nearly 12 hours by morsi supporters. his face is still badly bruised a week after the ordeal. >> there were jumping over my chest, trying to kill me. they stopped the ambulances from taking us to the hospital. we were bleeding severely. they even sprayed our eyes with something.

it was very brutal. >> he says his hands and feet were bound as his captors repeatedly accused of nothing a trader and spy. >> i have an old idea that says i am a diplomat bridge they said i was a spy. >> riot police who are present merely looked on as morsi supporters beat and interrogated anti-morsi protesters. it included both men and women. >> almost 40 or 50 men were holding me, grabbing me, harassing me even though i am a woman, and beating me. they later took the helmet off and discovered i was a woman. a different kind of harassment and started. >> a longtime activist and member of the first -- shows

popular alliance party. for years she protested against the mubarak regime. >> to be beaten by police, then the people at once demonstrated -- i stood by their side or i did believe in their rights. >> like other protesters, she said she was interrogated for hours by members of the brotherhood and other islamist groups. >> whether i am a christian or not, how much had been paid to come and do that, how many did i kill, why do i hate them, why do i hate god, why am i fighting against god -- this is a message

the brotherhood, the freedom of justice party, the president -- i don't care how they classify themselves, are not objecting to torture. they think it is a legitimate way to confront your so-called enemies. a quick a professor of psychiatry at the university, and a member of a group against violence and torture. >> the confrontation between the muslim brotherhood, this is a confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition to the ruling party. >> morsi protesters were turned over to the prosecutors the next day. they were released for lack of evidence. it appears the president himself use of confessions obtained by his islamist supporters and a national televised speech that

evening. he said evidence those protesting against a mad taken money to commit violence. >> he went out to tell the people we confessed and had explosives and so on. it was a big lie. until that time, we were not investigated yet by the attorney general or any judicial authority. >> this shows you he is a state within a state. he has his own police operators, prosecution. he wants to enforce this on us. >> the clashes at the presidential compound on december 5 marked the mysterious filing compotation read those who suffered came from both sides of the divide. at least 10 people were killed, most from the ranks of the muslim brotherhood. this 38-year-old was a member of the group for close to two decades. he was shot and killed during the clashes. his family is still trying to make sense of the loss.

they have the clothes he wore, stained with blood. his mother is overcome by grief when they're brought down. his brother said mohammed went to the presidential palace straight from work after he heard there is a march to support the president. he went to stand was something he agreed with, his brother said, and went peacefully. he says mohammed was standing with others as part of a defensive wall when you shot in the head at close range. -- when he was shot and had a close range. haughton's sister said she would to see her dead brother at the morgue that evening. she weeps as she describes seeing his corpse. blood coming out of his mouth and nose from the blow loopholes in the back of a said. -- from the bullet holes in the

back of his head. the city found a case against the leaders of the national foundation front, an opposition coalition group headed by three for inciting violence against presidential palace. they said anti-morsi protesters did not represenrespected democc process. mohammed's mother blames the opposition person's death and says she wants people to disagree peacefully. -- blames the opposition for her son's death and says she wants people to disagree peacefully. she will vote yes in the referendum. both sides in the clashes have mourned the dead. among those killed, a 33-year- old journalist.

he was shot and had wallcovering the clashes at the presidential compound. his friend was next and when he was shot near the front lines. >> there was heavy fire. something like 10 shots in a row. then i heard a shot. a and the sound of his skull bone being hit. i had my hand on his shoulder. there's hardly any space between our heads. i heard the sound very well. then he fell. >> he went into a coma and died one week later bring his death started and a protests by hundreds of colleagues who held the muslim brotherhood responsible for his death. known as an actor protester for many years against the mubarak regime. he also actively protested

president morsi and policies. in a move that enraged his friends and colleagues, the official english-language websites blamed the opposition for his death. >> instead of planning the opposition, they should blame themselves. >> a woman activist and close friends with the deceased. >> he was a very peaceful and kind person and was not the kind to act with vengeance. he went to film the events. they should blame themselves. >> it was in the wake of the violence at the presidential palace is and the deepening political polarization as saturday's referendum took place. on the eve of the vote, clashes broke out in alexandria with thousands rolling rocks at each other after a protest at a mosque urged those of -- worshippers to vote yes. >> elections and referendum

should be carried in a free and safe environment. this is -- >> a member of the board of directors for the human rights. >> what is happening now is there has been a lot of instability. there were outbreaks of violence in the past two weeks all over egypt. this does not qualify as a safe and secure environment. >> three days before the national referendum was to take place, the president announced the poll would be held over two days, one-week apart. they're not enough judges to supervise the vote, as many were boycotting in protest. >> up to 80% of the judiciary have refused to supervise the referendum. as a result, the high elections committee had to put in place people who are not really from

the judiciary. today we're getting lots of complaints those supervising are school teachers, government employees, university professors -- definitely not for the judiciary." despite the low voter turnout, long lines snaked out of polling stations and voting hours had to be extended. a working-class district of cairo, one of the voters say no and the referendum said the process had been rushed and it wasn't enough time to discuss. >> we should reach out to the poor and ignorant, especially that we have a high percentage of poor and illiterate, and the constitution is not just for you to read. you must discuss it was summoned educated, but they did not give us a chance. >> other voters said they

support the constitution because they want to in the transition. they say the president deserves a chance. >> i said yes. it is honorable for every egyptian this say yes. democracy is not putting pressure on someone so he leaves. democracy means you give a chance. there is a ballot box every four years, according to the laws. if someone's to give their opinion, they can put it in the ballot box. >> many voters today to this referendum as not just on the constitution, but president morsi and the muslim brotherhood. after five months in office, this is the biggest test for the president and his group. several miles to the north, a neighborhood is come to the largest concentration of egypt's christian minority. voters expressed concern of the draft constitution. >> this constitution does not

fulfil the desires of all the people, of all groups. the churches refused, secular is refuse. how could we say yes that not all people agree on? >> other voters say they see little alternative. >> i would say yes because unfortunately, i have not found anyone that said no that is convince me of anything. we have to say yes for this country that is about to fall down. >> many of those voting against the concert -- voiced concern. >> we have monitors that have filed many complaints of the poor organization of the first referendum. this is by far the worst referendum have sponsored. it comes at the worst time ever. >> regardless of the final outcome of the referendum, the crisis of the last three weeks

will likely affect egypt for some time to come. struggle for change that ignited two years ago, continues. >> sharif abdel kouddous. a referendum passed with 57% of the vote for it the second round saturday. human rights groups have called for revote. [captioning made possible by democr

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with mary wilson. this month the 50th anniversary. meet the supremes laid the groundwork for one of the most successful music acts of the history. the moment that launched the supremes and to physical or bread. a conversation with mary wilson